THOMAS REID

Tommy Reid, one of our senior elders, died peacefully at the age of 88 in the Monklands Hospital on Saturday the 15^th December 2001 after a long illness which he bore with courage and quiet faith..

Tommy was a Gartsherrie man and when Gartsherrie closed he was lucky to obtain employment with Reid the Box Maker.

Tommy had many interests in life. He was a keen bowler and enjoyed the fellowship and challenge of the Bowling Green. He was a gardener and took great pride in his garden which was greatly admired. He was a Free Mason and enjoyed the fellowship of the Lodge, but it was the Eastern Star which gave him a great avenue for service. He was Worthy Patron and a well known speaker in many parts of the country, a speaker who was known for his ability not only to speak but to lead the company in prayer. He was also known as one who was willing to pass on his knowledge and experience and to encourage others.

Today we remember Tommy as an elder, ordained in Maxwell Church in 1973, he served the congregation and session faithfully and well, not only as an elder but as Church Officer.

At the time of the union Tommy ceased active duty as an elder but was still devoted to St Andrew’s Church and until the last few weeks before his death he was usually first to take his seat on a Sunday morning.

Just a few days before he died, the least effort made him extremely breathless but Tommy was still full of interest in the world around him and the fortunes of his church. Not grumbling about illness but calm in the knowledge that life’s pilgrimage was drawing to a close. The peace and sure hope of Christ gave him the strength of faith which was with him to the end.

Today we give thanks for a life of faith and for a life of service to Christ and his church.